MINNEAPOLIS — Hundreds of thousands of Minnesota hunters and anglers will have the option to use their phones in new ways to buy and display licenses beginning June 9.

On Tuesday, the state Department of Natural Resources announced exact details on what it had telegraphed for months: the launch date of an upgrade to its electronic license system (ELS), which is more than a year overdue.

Minnesotans can expect a system that is more “convenient, flexible and user-friendly,” said DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen in a news release.

The system will allow users to buy a license via a new mobile app or online platform, while traditional methods remain.

Customers also will be able to store their licenses in their mobile devices and, for example, register harvests without cell service.

The DNR has stressed that nondigital users will be accommodated. They still will be able to buy licenses in person and print them to carry for validation. People who want to register their harvests in person will use a paper validation. Physical harvest tags no longer will be required.

An update for registering watercraft and recreational vehicles is part of a second phase of the new ELS scheduled to occur later this year.

Transitioning to the new system, which is replacing an ELS that is more than 25 years old, will occur over several days, the DNR said.

The current platform will operate until 11:59 p.m. June 1, when its license-holder data will begin migrating to the new ELS. Licenses bought through June 1 will be included in the migration.

Fishing license sales will pause during the changeover, allowing anglers to fish without a license from 12 a.m. June 2 through 11:59 p.m. June 8, the agency added. The conversion doesn’t affect fishing regulations and bag limits.

The updated ELS will be available at 12 a.m. June 9.

As the new system launches, DNR and its project partners will have staff available to help users through the transition along with guides and how-to videos, the agency said. The new mobile app, MN DNR Licensing, is available for both iPhone and Android devices.

PayIt, a private vendor based in Kansas City, Mo., built the new platform and will manage it.

The DNR missed an early March 2025 deadline for the $3.5 million project. Agency officials said the complexity and scale of the system contributed to the delay.

Earlier this year, state auditors cited concerns about the phased rollout. Their report said the DNR’s plan to launch in spring 2026 would risk “significantly compressing or cutting necessary launch preparation,” such as troubleshooting 11th-hour software releases and updates.

Project lead Kelly Straka responded at the time that the agency was confident in its preparation and launch timing. Straka also runs the DNR’s fish and wildlife division.

The ELS is expected to hold as many as 400 DNR license products when it is fully functional. The DNR sold more than 2.7 million licenses in 2024.

The state park reservation system is unaffected.

The DNR has several ways to learn more, ask questions and stay up to date:

— Online: dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/els.html has frequently asked questions and a sign-up for email updates

— By phone: License Center, 651-297-1230; Information Center, 651-296-6157

— By email: info.dnr@state.mn.us

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